Would-be criminals, meet the SWAT-Bot New bulletproof shield designed to protect police and the public

Thursday

Apr 25, 2013 at 3:15 AM

By Ellen W. ToddSanford News Writer

SANFORD — The scene in front of the Sanford Police Department last Thursday morning looked like something from a Bruce Willis action movie as five police officers wearing helmets and camouflage gear and carrying weapons walked behind a robotically operated bulletproof shield toward a “suspect.”

“Move away from the vehicle,” yelled an officer as the robot and officers advanced across the parking lot to the individual, disarmed and “captured” him.

The April 18 event was the unveiling of the Robotic Solution 1 — Robotic Ballistic Shield 1 (RS1-RBS1), or SWAT-Bot.

Developed and created by Howe and Howe Technologies in Waterboro, in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Police SWAT team, the SWAT-Bot is a military grade robot with a collapsible ballistic shield designed to protect officers and civilians from gunfire and even improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Howe and Howe Technologies is known for its work developing state-of-the-art robotics for the military. Last fall, company owners and brothers — President Michael Howe and CEO Geoffrey Howe — met with Massachusetts State Police to discuss how the technology could be used by law enforcement to reduce officers’ and civilians’ exposure in dangerous incidents, such as domestic standoffs, hostage situations and riots. After months of research, engineering and testing, Howe and Howe announced the creation of the SWAT-Bot, a tool that will “drastically change SWAT/SRT [special response team] tactics forever, saving countless lives in the process,” according to a company press release. Last week’s unveiling and demonstration of the SWAT-Bot had been scheduled to be held in Boston with the Massachusetts State Police, but the company moved the event to Sanford due to the tragic event at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15, according to Mike Howe. Two homemade bombs exploded near the finish line of the 26.2-mile race, killing three spectators and injuring more than 200 others.

Demonstrating the SWAT-Bot last Thursday were members of the Southern Maine Special Response Team — one of four certified tactical teams in the state. The team, which is made up of 18 law enforcement officers and two paramedics from York County, recently had a seven-hour training session on the SWAT-Bot at Howe and Howe’s Waterboro facility.

Sanford Police Sgt. Craig L. Anderson, the team leader for the Southern Maine Special Response Team, said in a letter following the training that the SWAT-Bot is “far superior to any type of conventional ballistic protection for dismounted officers we’ve ever been exposed to.”

The SWAT-Bot is large enough to protect up to 12 police officers as they make tactical approaches and maneuvers. In addition to protection, it has number of attachments, such as a door entry ram that can smash in industrial and reinforced doors, and a Dragon Tail attachment that can pierce and remove doors. Its 16,000-lumen lights and “siren” will blind and disorient a shooter.

It also has a tray, or cage, attachment that can be used to deliver objects, such as a telephone to a negotiator in a hostage situation.

“It’s no coincidence that the tray is about the size of a pizza box,” said Mike Howe.

There is also a high-definition video system attachment that is “so clear you can see the date on a penny on the ground in front of you,” he said. He said the video system can be used to “interrogate” and identify the contents of a backpack or other items.

Howe said the SWAT-Bot will sell for less than $100,000 — a lot of money, he said, but added that it is “the least expensive product in its class out there.”

He said the cost of development is not reflected in the price of the SWAT-Bot because Howe and Howe was able to use years of research spent on developing robotics for the military to develop the SWAT-Bot for domestic use.

Howe predicted that in five to ten years, the SWAT-Bot (or similar technology) will be used across the world.

“I’d like to have one in my arsenal,” said Sanford Police Chief Thomas Connolly in response to a reporter’s question following the demonstration.

Connolly, who is the commander of the Southern Maine SRT, compared the SWAT-Bot to insurance. “If you have one incident and it saves the life of one officer — or more — it pays for itself.”